Fireworks

Last night I went to the fireworks for the first time since I began my days at the BK Lounge. I think that one of the only benefits of this job is that I have evenings to enjoy.

I forgot how exciting fireworks are. The lines, the busy traffic circles, the people, the cheap hot dogs (which I didn't eat), and the getting out after the pretty colours have burnt out in the sky.

The whole night was just awesome! We went with the girls from work (and by we, I mean Kait and myself), to the Hamilton Bayfront. I have never been there before, which is kind of sad considering I have lived in Hamilton (Ancaster) for two years now. We left at like 7oclock, which is a ridiculous for 10pm fireworks, but the whole parking thing was a foreseen issue, and so leaving early had to happen. We got to the Bayfront at 7:30 and after a debate about ladies rooms (ie. port-a-potties) and positioning of fireworks versus lawnchairs and syncronized music and men on stilts, we settled for a spot with a perfect view of all possible firework launching areas. And then we waited.

We waited.

We waited.

We waited a little bit more.

At about 8 oclock I found out that my friend was working one of the Ice Cream trucks in the Bay. And by one of the Ice Cream trucks, I mean one out of about 5 trucks spread out over a park which could easily rival Central Park in NYC. But, the benefit of walking all over a crowded Bayfront trying to find the Ice Cream truck with the Ice Cream man I actually know is that I get a bigger Ice Cream cone.

And then we waited some more.

Then, we just about lost Heather. We all assumed that the cute, fictional, Australian had whisked her away with his accent. Eventually she was found though, and the truth was that the line for the ice cream was really long.

Sometime, after waiting some more, taking photos with our heads together on a blanket, and tackling Kaitlin out of a chair, the sky got dark and the national anthem played.

And then, the most amazing fireworks show I've seen since Disney World. It could rival Epcot Centre.

The show lasted 15 minutes. 15 glorious minutes. The sky lit up in colours and more colours and explosions that would put the German Blitz on Europe to shame.

And when the sky became dark and the masses awoke from their patriotic dream, the fight to exit the park began. There were people, and headlights, and one peculiar little white boy (okay, he wasn't little, he was a skinny little 16 year old dressed in rags -aka 'gangsta' clothing) rapping to someting black. Picture a skinny little white kid rapping to goodness knows what. After the amusement of that wore off, and several other members of the mob agreed with my speculations about the rap music, we found the car.

And waited to get out..

And waited.

And flashed our lights at some men peeing in the bushes (they were turned around, and we would have covered our eyes if they weren't).

Finally we left, and returned home.

Happy Birthday Canada!

MCC: unchanging, and sadly so.

Word of the Day: huskey

Quote of the Day: "We nicky nicky nine doored a VP meeting!" Jessica Marshall

The RA Extravaganza

Amanda and I sent out the letters to our girls this week. We worked really hard to make everything right, and then we each picked a photo and I put them into a collage to send along with the package. Amanda mailed them out today, and voila! our girls will get the letters they have been waiting for since they first applied.

I remember those days. I remember waiting in the summer for the day when my RA letter came. I was so excited to find out who the girls in my dorm were, and what dorm I would be living in, and who my RAs would be (probably in that order..) I still have my letter from my RAs.

It's a little nerve-racking too. I mean, parents are trusting US with THEIR daughters for EIGHT MONTHS! Its crazy to think that just two years ago, I was one of those first years. And my parents were the ones trusting Steph and Lorie. I was trusting Steph and Lorie.

I know God will look after us this year. I know that Amanda and I will be tried, and tested, and probably have days when we just don't want to do it anymore. But I also firmly believe that God is blessing the dorm, and He will bless it. He is in the business, after all.

MCC: 25

Word of the Day: Pizza

Quote of the Day: "You know, having your shoes off is very un-hygienic." Random lady at the school, talking to me, after she noticed that I didn't have my shoes on.

The Post Office Strike Back

It's kind of like the Empire. Except it manipulates you with letters.

I wonder if it is some sort of game to the Post Office, refusing to allow you to forward an address and then sending you spiteful reminders of the fact that the package is still sitting in their office.

If they start with-holding my own mail, I will be angered. Very angered.

On the bright side, I recieved the list of girls who will be in my dorm in the fall. I cannot WAIT to RA!

MCC: 16

Word of the Day: Creep

Quote of the Day: "I usually forget to make my bed." The answer to 'other information that might be helpful when placing you in a residence' on one of the girl's housing application. It made me smile.

Nothing interesting

So, this weekend was fairly uneventful. I didn't do anything exciting.

Thanks for leaving comments everyone! I really appreciate it.

MCC: 15

Word of the Day: Sunshine

Quote of the Day: "Wake up, John!" Mr. Eko

The difference between the laws of science and the laws of mail

So, here's another reason why I detest science.

Actually, it's more on account of dumb laws (not scientific laws here, just common postal laws).

Upon moving into Olivia Place, one of the guys who had lived here previously told me that he was expecting a textbook to come in the mail. He needed it to be mailed to Au Sauble, Michigan (he is taking a course in Au Sauble that has something to do with his biology major at Redeemer..). He asked me to make sure it got mailed. Easy enough, right?

Yeah, right.

So, this afternoon I took a trip to the postal office (it got mailed to the one in the Shopper's Drug Mart which is like 20 minutes away by foot...as opposed to the post office that is just down the road from my house which is 5 minutes away by foot). And when I got there, I found out that I couldn't simply forward the package on. No, first she wanted to see photo ID. Great, except that my passport had the address of my Strathroy house on it. Then she wanted proof that I'm renting the house. Kait's parents own this house, and they haven't actually given us a rental agreement yet. Besides, who carries their rental papers with them in their purse. Really, mail lady? (haha..mail lady.. that's funny). Then she wanted written consent from the guy whose name was on the package enabling me to pick it up. Okay, that I get, except that I just wanted to forward the package on.

So, what did I do? I argued with her.

I explained to her that I had no interest in the textbook whatsoever, and it didn't really matter to me whether it sat in her post-office all summer or not, but I would like to see my friend graduate, and in order to do that, he needed this textbook (which, by the way, should have been in a week and a half ago. Amazon's mailing got behind orders). I explained that I didn't even want to open the package (thereby obeying the law that I cannot open mail addressed to someone else), I just wanted to forward it on. I explained that my major is English and so clearly I have no interest in the biology textbook. I explained that I don't even like science. I explained that if she let me mail this, she would be my favourite postal worker in the world. And then, I gave her a big smile and fluttered by eyelashes just a little bit.

She thought a minute, and then said to me, "Mam," (she called me Mam!) "I believe you, I really do, but the laws of science are different from the laws of the post office. You need written consent from this guy."

And so, I hung my head in defeat. I handed her the other two letters which were addressed and stamped and needed to mailed away, and then I turned around and walked out.

Funnier part is, I have no idea how to get a hold of this guy. He is living in a cabin in the middle of the woods for the summer (eco-biologists *rolls eyes*). He has no phone reception, and contacting him by email is hit or miss. So, here I sit, trying to figure out what to do about this stupid textbook.

I hate science.

MCC: 13

Word of the Day: Consent

Quote of the Day: "The laws of science are different from the laws of the post office." Mail lady

I am a tech guru

This evening I decided to try and hook the internet and landline back up.

We had the internet for a few days, but then the owners of the house (aka Kait's parents) came through on Saturday and did a major clean-up of the house. They ripped up the carpet in the living room, finished the job Kait and I did on the kitchen, and scrubbed every other inch of this house.

In the course of the living room excavation, the internet became unplugged again. Previously, one of the guys who had lived here before us hooked everything up for Kait and I, but then he went and moved to the USA for 2 months, so we were a little stuck. For the past 3ish days, I have been *stealing* (borrowing...tomato, potato) internet from some unsuspecting neighbours. However, I only get that signal in one place in the house, and it is incredibly weak, so hooking up the ethernet box seemed like a good idea.

Then I realized that I should probably follow through with this idea. I'm not exactly the most technologically apt person out there, so I was pretty excited when I sat down with about 6 different cables, and outlets and boxes. Oh goodness.

After plugging and unplugging things several times, I realized that I was going about this the wrong way. The key is not to try and see which wires fit in which hole. No, that's only a small part. The key is to plug these wires in, and see which ones make the boxes light up. When I figured this out, it took me about 5 minutes to get everything plugged in. Whether or not I am actually using the right wires for the right boxes is beyond me. But the phone and internet are both working. It's a happy day.

MCC: 11

Word of the Day: Lazy

Quote of the Day: "We have carpet!"

Photo Editing

I did a little bit of photo-editing after a photo shoot with some friends. Used Picnik.com. Useful site, I might add.

We are moved into Olivia Place, which means that I am sitting on a couch writing this entry, not at a school computer, or at my friend's house. The place was a mess. I don't think that the guys knew how to clean. Housemate and I were going to bake a pie, in celebration of our moving from Blue Castle into something less sketchy, however, when we turned the oven on, there was so much crap caked to the bottom of the oven, that it actually lit on fire.

There were flames and smoke.

If I had been faster, I would have taken a picture, or a video, or something to commemorate the occassion.

Needless to say, Housemate and I decided that it would be better to just clean the thing.

So, we opened some coolers, looked at our messy house, and decided to tackle it in the morning.

See, originally, we were supposed to work the day after we moved in, but God knew we would need the day to clean and get organized. So, after working on Saturday, we both had Wednesday off. It took Housemate 5 hours to clean the oven alone (not the stove, not the little drawer thing underneath)...and that was using some super oven remover from work...the stuff we used to clean the ovens in the dorms. It took me 2 hours to clean the fridge (excluding freezer), and another couple hours to wash down gross walls, and kitchen floors and tables.

Needless to say, its been fun.

MCC: 5

Word of the Day: immature

Quote of the Day: "Our oven's on fire!" -Kait

A little change in Marineland

Well, readers, it is that time again. Yesterday marked the first Marineland commercial. However, this summer, there is going to be a little bit of a twist in the matter.

Since I lack a television, my Marineland Commercial Count has been restricted - to radio. Now, surprisingly, this has promise. Living in the GTA, they are played on all the radio stations. My housemate heard at least 3 radio commercials yesterday. I feel as though this will be a good way to keep the tradition going... after all, they still play the song.

And so,

Marineland Commercial Count (MCC): 1

Word of the Day: Move

Quote of the Day: "Plastic little spastic!" Amanda Bynes (Hairspray)

ps. Housemate and I move out of the Blue Castle today. Dad comes to help us this evening. Drink up to a mouse-less house.

A little bit of my life

So, I promised pictures.

Remember when I said we had mice in the house? Remember when I mentioned the bit about chipmunks? Well, this little guy scared the crap out of my housemate this past week. She almost touched it, which is pretty gross.

His name is Alfred.

As you can see, the whole -caught in the mousetrap- thing worked well for it. Just in such an inconvenient spot. Jon, one of the guys who inhabited the dorm beneath ours all year, is on Security for the summer, and gladly got rid of Alfred. This involved a drastic hurling of both animal and trap into the backyard. To which he said, "See if that's still there tomorrow!"

The next few photos are of my room. I have a lot of clothing laying everywhere. Let's face it, I am moving out of Blue Castle in a week, and the necessity to clean up my floor isn't high on my priority list...especially since I spend all day cleaning.

And this was the day Kaitlin decided to climb out of her window and on to the roof of Blue Castle. It took a pretty sweet picture though!

And that is my life. It's been really hot working the last couple of days. Blue Castle is stiffling hot at night. We're working at 7am again this week. I don't mind it, surprisingly. My body is getting used to the early rise thing, and is less and less tired in the evening.

Kait and I biked to Chapters tonight. There were some lovely sales, and I finally invested in an iRewards card. I bought several wonderful books. I'll let you all know what I think of them when I finish reading them.

Wednesdays have also been instituted as Whopper Wednesdays. Pretty much the entire cleaning crew gets together for lunch and goes to the BK Lounge on Upper James. Today was really funny, because instead of asking the cashier questions about what to order, and how much things would cost, and what comes on the burgers, I got to answer all the questions. I loved it. Burger King is my namesake.

Off to bed now.

Word of the Day: whopper

Quote of the Day: Me: "I have a package on one side that's really heavy." Kait: "Uh, that's really awkward."